Gizmodo: boating

Butterfingered Sea Captains Need These Floating, Loudly Colored Boat Tools

Jack Loftus — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EDT

Yar! Where be my pliers and braided cable cutters? Avast! There they be, bobbin' in the surf, next to me floatin' massage chair!

And scene.

Anyway, these brightly-colored tools float and accomplish several boat-related tasks—just right for Summermodo adventures you might have planned!

Knock them overboard and they're easily seen and retrieved. Pretty straightforward. The handles help the tools float because they're made of comforting foam. Bonus: The rust-resistant metal is tungsten-carbide, perfect for fighting off the corrosive effects of that salty sea air. Yar. [Amazon via Boing Boing]

Urban Skiff Portable Boat Makes Sense to Someone, But Not Me

Benny Goldman — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 15:10:00 EST

City dwellers who can't shake their love for the Great Outdoors will find excitement in the "Urban Skiff." It's a portable boat that goes from duffle bag to sad, wilted-looking dinghy in just eight ~~impossible~~ easy steps. Now all you need is a space in your cramped apartment to store a boat-sized bag, means to transport it and water to set sail in. Personally, you'd have a better chance of finding my body at the bottom of the East River before you found me carrying this thing over there. A shot of the setup process, after the jump.

Look how tired that guy is! Sorry urbanites, this is only a concept. For actual run-ins with nature you will still have you leave the city. [Yanko Design]

Surfango's PowerKayaks Haul Aquatic Ass

kthompson — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 23:04:23 EDT

If you've been avoiding kayaking all your life because the strenuous paddling seemed like too much work, Surfango is your dream come true. Tired of paddling away for a few measly miles per hour, Surfango strapped a four-stroke engine on the back of a kayak and the PowerKayak was born. It may only fit one person, but that person is guaranteed to have a grand old time skipping over the waves at a blistering 25 miles per hour.

The PowerKayak comes in two flavors, Hawaii and Adventurer. The Hawaii is the open-top version you see in the action pics, while the Adventurer is fully enclosed (the enhanced aerodynamics boost its top speed up to 28mph). You can spend a few hours on the water in either boat with the two gallon fuel tank and each one is outfitted with all kinds of waterproof compartments and a digital dashboard. The steering (via joystick) is apparently quite responsive even at high speeds.

Both models of PowerKayak weigh in at around 120 pounds and start at the not too brutal price of $2899. While they look more stable than their engineless counterparts, be careful not to tip one of these over; not only would you be stuck underwater without the aid of a paddle to flip yourself over, but that purring engine could start singing a pretty nasty tune above the water. [Gizmag]

Tu_Fin Lets You Walk on Water Without Divine Intervention

Charlie White — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 14:00:00 EDT

Nordic skiers will love this 26-foot boat powered by the same motions used in cross-country skiing. The craft's hull is sharply shaped, similar to a rowing skull, letting it efficiently cut through the water. Its designers say it can zip along at 6.5 knots (that's 7.5 mph for you landlubbers).

It's big enough to carry a passenger up front, and the back is low enough so you can easily climb aboard from the water. Check out the gallery to see how its Nordic walking mechanism moves a flipper underneath the boat, giving you all-over exercise while moving along at a steady clip.

So far it's a design concept, but this walking on water looks like fun, even for us heathens. Maybe biking on water would be even better—we'd like to see one with a bicycle pedaling mechanism, too. – Charlie White

Designer's Page [Tu_Fin, via Yanko Design and Treehugger]